Merry Christmas from Lio

Lio by Mark Tatulli is a strip that brings me joy. It closely resembles Calvin from Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes, but Lio is more demented. While it is sure that Calvin has his moments of grossness and vulgarity, Lio is someone who revels in the macabre 24/7. The strip is also amazing in that it largely works through the visual as opposed to the textual. Gags frequently involve the supernatural/occult, alien invasion, or mass destruction of many sorts, creating a surreal, disturbing atmosphere in the comics.

Some of the strip’s recurring themes involve Liō getting even with grade-school bullies, helping animals (most of which are non-anthropomorphic but display obvious intelligence) defend themselves against humans or their predators, and performing mad scientist style experiments. He is often seen using robots that he constructs himself for causing mischief.